The invention concerns an applicator device for a fluid, pasty, gel-like, wax-like or powder product, comprising an applicator means having a working region, a first conveyor means having a first conveyor element, a second conveyor means having a second conveyor element, a first and a second adjusting element which are rotatable relative to each other, wherein at least in a first operating position the first conveyor means responds to rotation of the two adjusting elements relative to each other and at least in a second operating position the second conveyor means responds to rotation of the two control means relative to each other, and actuation of the second conveyor means causes axial displacement of the second conveyor element with respect to the first and second adjusting elements, more specifically by equal distances.
An applicator device of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification is known, for example from EP 1 273 245 A1. In that arrangement the first control element is formed by a cartridge and the second control element is formed by a shaft. In a first operating condition (initial condition prior to first use) the cartridge is not completely filled with the product. Rather, there is a dead space. The first conveyor means serves to overcome the dead space wherein the second conveyor means serves for fine metering. The first conveyor element is identical to the second conveyor element. It is a piston which is axially slidable in the cartridge. When the piston is moved axially by actuation of the second conveyor means, it moves in the axial direction, more specifically by equal distances, with respect to both the cartridge and also the shaft. Therefore the cartridge and the shaft are not moved relative to each other in the axial direction.
The situation is different upon actuation of the first conveyor means for overcoming the dead space. More specifically in that case the piston is moved axially only with respect to the cartridge but not with respect to the shaft, and for that reason in that case the cartridge is moved axially with respect to the shaft. That therefore entails a reduction in the length of the overall applicator device.
Such a reduction is not desirable because an applicator device of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification needs a given minimum length in order to be suitably handleable.
Therefore the object of the present invention is to develop the applicator device known from EP 1 273 245 A1 in such a way as to avoid a reduction in overall length upon actuation.